impinge on each other. The
expression of the time-present and past in particular, cannot be
considered separately from aspect. As far as this language is
concerned, there are two aspects1, of which the
progressive combine freely with the tenses. The aspects available in
this language are: progressive, and habitual. Beginning with the
progressive a brief discussion of these aspects follows.
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The progressive
aspect:
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The
progressive aspect on the one hand indicates the incomplet
teness of the action and on the other continuity or
progression on the action referred to. It can freely
mix with different tenses. It is usually set up in opposition
to the simple tenses viz., past, present and future.
Since the simple present tense in this language is available
only with the locative verb which cannot be expressed/stated
in terms of a progressive aspect is restricted in this
language to only two tenses viz., past and future tenses.
The progressive aspect in this language, however, shows
a three-way opposition in tense. These oppositions are
expressed by postposing the corresponding tense forms
of the LV to the un-inflected form of the verb, as in:
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Past
progressive:
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moy mo so
khay  sile
‘I was eating meat’
moy huy sile
‘I was sleeping’
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Present
progressive:
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moy moso
khay se
‘I am eating meat’
moy huy se
‘I am sleeping
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Future
progressive:
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moy moso
khayhobo ‘I will be eating meat’
moy huy hobo
‘I will be sleeping’
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The sets of
sentences given above are in opposition to the simple, past and future
tense. This can be illustrated with the following examples.
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moy moso
khayse ‘I ate meat’
moy huyse
‘I slept’
moy moso khabo
‘I will eat meat’
moy hubo
‘I will sleep’
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Sometimes the
simple future could also express the progressive, as in :
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kod jabo
‘Where are you going?’
moy dukanot jabo ‘I am going to the shop’
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1Perfective
aspect is not set up, please see Appendix 2, item No. 2.2 for a
discussion on this issue.
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Such questions
and answers, could alternately be interpreted as:
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‘Where will you
go ?’ ‘I will go to shop’
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The indication
of the future progressive with the simple, future form, however, is
not possible with all verbs and in all situations, for instance, an
utterance like:
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moy moso
khabo |
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Would only be an
answer to the question:
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puni moso
khabo nki
‘will you eat meat?’
or
(puni) ki khabo
‘what will you eat?’
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The answer to
the above questions would not imply that ‘I am eating meat’
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Habitual:
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Just as the time
and duration of an action in relation to the time of uttering a
sentence is indicated respectively by tense and progressive aspect,
the recurring nature of an action can be indicated by the habitual
aspect. As far as this language is concerned, this aspect is not
indicated by any inflection of the verb, rather the adverb hoday
‘always’ is preposed to the object (NP2) or to
the verb respectively of transitive and intransitive constructions,
with the verb taking appropriate tense markers, as in:
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moy hoday moso
khayse ‘I used to eat meat’
moy hoday moso khay
‘I eat meat (Habitually)’
moy hoday moso khabo
‘I will eat meat (Habitually)
moy otu gorot hoday jayse ‘I used go to that house’
moy otu gorot hoday jay ‘I go to that hould
(Habitually)’
moy otu gorot hoday jabo ‘I will go to that house
(Habitually)’
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In view of what
has been stated above with illustrative examples, the habitual aspect
is not a compulsory grammatical category.
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| 3.3.4.3. |
Modals
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"Moods, like
tense, is frequently realised by inflecting the verb or by modifying
it by means os auxiliaries. It is best defined in relation to an
‘unmarked’ class of sentences which expresses simple statements of
facts, unqualified with respect to the attitude of the speaker towards
what he is saying, non-modal (unmarked for mood). If, however, a
particular language has a set of one or more grammatical devices for
‘marking’ sentences according to the speakers commitments with respect
to the factual status of what he is saying (his emphatic certainty,
his uncertainty or doubt, etc.) It is customary to refer to the
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